Art,

Okay, I'll bite.  Man's interest in shells goes back to prehistoric times.
Shell jewelry in the form of necklaces and "buttons" have been found in
prehistoric sites in both the New World and the Old World.  Shells in
middens left over from early man's epicurean habits seem to get more
attention, but there is plenty of evidence of the aesthetic use of shells.
In Europe, a 30,000 year old burial site of Cro-Magnon man contained the
bodies of a man, woman, and child.  They were decorated with red ochre and
surrounded by weapons, tools, animal teeth, AND a necklace made of
seashells.  Another site contained a Cypraecassis rufa, the helmet shell
used to make cameos.  This shell is from the Indo-Pacific, yet found its way
to Europe.  Obviously a valued item and not as a food item (no refrigeration
for such long journeys back then!).  Similarly, there are Spondylus shells
found in sites in my native state of New Mexico - a long way from any ocean.
Early man traded shells that had value back then as now for their beauty.
Our interest in the colors/patterns/designs/shapes etc. of shells did not
spring to life in the last few thousand years, but has a long history.  And
as for pre-Linnaean, there were plenty of authors who wrote about shells
before old Carl von got us settled on the binominal system.  Early Minoan
art shows shells in a decorative fashion, Aristotle (300's BC) coined the
word "mollusk," Pliny (early AD) wrote about mollusks in his Natural
History, Middle Age monks used images of shells in their illuminated works,
and lots of Europeans used the availability of the printing press to
describe their collections.  The "collector's cabinet" was already a very
popular (among the wealthy) past time in the 1500s and 1600s.  Shells were
coming back to Europe from the many South Sea expeditions and the fervor was
on!  I am sure our collector friends in Japan and China can tell similar
stories of early collecting in their countries.

Tom Eichhorst


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2004 11:56 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Old Collections
>
>
> The Question Man Asks:
>      It appears to us that Shell cvollecting is a relatively new
> sport. That is---there doesn't appear to be many records predating Linne.
>      But is this so?
>      Are there records of collectors dating back to the middle
> ages? Kings? Crusaders? Japanese Emperors? Would Patrice Bail or
> Tom Eichorst know?  Are there musty non-displayable conchs hidden
> in places even the curators no longer frequent?
>      Wouldn't it be interesting---if----
>    The Q Man
>
> PLEASE NOTE: My new, long-term, and correct email address is:
> [log in to unmask] Please update your records!
>
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